National coach Michele Marcolini said that he might make some changes for tonight’s match against Italy which Marcolini described it similar to climbing Mount Everest. Malta will face European champions Italy this evening at Ta’ Qali in a much‐awaited match by the local football lovers.
Both sides lost their opening Group C match by the same scoreline, Malta in Skopje against North Macedonia, and Italy in Naples against England in a repeat of the Euro 2020 final played at Wembley Sta‐ dium.
Marcolini said that all players are in good shape and there are no in‐ jury problems, even though the match in Skopje surely left its toll on the Malta players. Marcolini said that tactically Malta will not change much from the match played in Skopje and a final decision on even‐ tual changes will be taken in the morning before the match.
Asked about the Italian team, Marcolini said that although Mancini’s side is not passing through a very happy moment, Italy will always be one of the best teams in the world. He said that Italy will hungry for victory especially after the defeat against England, and this create more problems to the Malta side.
Marcolini said that Italy’s approach to the game will be completely different from that displayed in Naples, as Italy will surely be more aggressive in attack. He said that the Maltese will have to be extra careful especially in defence.
Matthew Guillaumier said that the match against Italy will be an‐ other difficult test for the Malta team. However the Hamrun mid‐ fielder said that they have to continue from where they left in Skopje.
Italian coach Roberto Mancini was anything but worried after his side’s home defeat against England and ahead of the game against Malta tonight.
Mancini said that a defeat against England is not out of this world.
He said however that Italy can‐ not drop any points starting from tonight’s game.
He said that all matches have their difficulty and the game against Malta can get complicated especially if they do get an early goal.
About the Malta team he said that the locals have improved a lot. He said that Malta is solid at the back and can create problems in attack.
About new striker Rategui he said that it is still too early to judge, but his qualities are there for all to see.
Mancini said that he was not under pressure following Thurs‐ day’s result and was confident Italy could grab the three points at Ta’ Qali tonight.
Roma and Italy midfielder Bryan Cristante also addressed the media and said Italy could have easily saved the match against England. He added that Malta could be a hard nut to crack.